cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

Hell of a year for rodents

copplecrown
Explorer
Explorer
Last fall the white pines dropped a huge amount of pine cones. As a result, the squirrel, chipmunk, and mouse populations are way up, and they are doing their mischief.
The list this year so far: Chewed hoses and well line, anything plastic basically, lead flashing around chimneys, nests in engine compartments, eating roots of plants in the garden, you name it.
Everyone has their choices for dealing with them- I personally use peppermint oil sprinkled on bounce sheets in my camper, but for the most part, I think we can all agree it takes work to rid ourselves from rodent problems, without owning a cat.
The upside, if there is one, is that birds of prey have lots to eat. Sadly, though, people will use d-con, which gets passed on up the food chain and vet hospitals can tell stories of dying hawks and owls from ingesting animals who have been poisoned.
Lately, I've found that mice really hate the smell of natrapel insect repellant. It has picaridin instead of deet, but the odor they add is probably what they find offensive. So far, so good, and here's hoping next year isn't as brutal!
6 REPLIES 6

down_home
Explorer
Explorer
No one listens ๐Ÿ™‚ Black Racers and others will get the rodents and what they don't will move on.
They won't bit you unless you step on them. Then only enough blood around the edge of their mouth, no teeth that you won't notice it. A bit of antitbiotic for city folks.

Sillybugs2
Explorer
Explorer
This year never saw a mouse. Last year they were everywhere we camped and yes in tt. Traps caught them and we sealed where the came in. Two rangers at parks in different states said it was a bad year for them. West coast though. Guess they all moved east this year.
2016 Hideout 28BHSWE
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT 6.7L diesel 6 speed auto SRW longbed

down_home
Explorer
Explorer
A few years ago we had a couple of hawks a Bald Eagle and a couple of Golden Eagles.
There was one real beautiful hawk. He would watch me on the porch and I would go through the house to the rear porch and here he would come sitting in a big oak looking at me. I didn't think of a way to get him down to the railing.
Anyway, he would fly down next to the stream turn 180 degrees, look around, ta3ke a set forward and apparently eat or at least kill what was in his claws. He got rid of a lot of field mice, somewhat scarce native rodents, and rats.
He also caught a bluebird outside our bed room window in flight. We didn't like that much. He ate everything from inside the shell of feathers.
Well they cleaned them all out pretty much. Been thinking of letting the field/yard grow up to draw the birds back.
I saw one of the resident Crows with a mouse in it's beak a few days ago. They regularly patrol the yard/field for grubs and anything else. Still have some trying to get under the porch. The semi resident cat hasn't been doing his job.
I would get another pet racoon but he would dig up a bunch of holes and tear thing up getting them. One we had tried to pry the wall paper apart at the seam we couldn't see.
Tractor Supply and some bait stations is on the list.
Two years ago a Black Racer crawled under my foot to escape.
He might be about 4 ft by now. They are intelligent and learn like dogs.
If I can find him and turn him loose here at the house he would solve any rodent problems. Wife doesn't think highly of it however.

WantoWander
Explorer
Explorer
Camped at York Beach Maine last week. Hubby took the sewer hose out of the bumper and found out the mice had chewed holes in it! Luckily he salvaged about 4 feet and that was enough to reach the dump connection.

Just ordered a new hose and these from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C5RB03W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2012 Tioga Montara

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
The best and safest rodent killer is the oldest too.

One third sugar, one third corn meal, one third plaster of Paris.

Best of all they run straight for water after ingesting it, so there's no stinky carcasses left in your house or RV.

2edgesword
Explorer
Explorer
I imagine feral cats bring their own problems but I haven't seen a rodent in my neighborhood in years. On the other hand I've come home to find a cat or two sleeping my driveway. I'll ride my loud Harley within five feet of them and they stay sleeping.